My colleague Larry Sandler reports today that the Milwaukee Common Council put its stamp of approval on the plan to upgrade biking and hiking trails along the Milwaukee River.

The Common Council unanimously endorsed the Milwaukee River Greenway Master Plan, which lays out a vision for the upper Milwaukee River, from about North Ave. to Silver Spring Drive, including stretches in Glendale and Shorewood.

More than 400 respondents revealed that biking is the most popular activity in the river corridor, which includes the paved Oak Leaf Trail above the east bank of the river and the new extension of the Beer Line path along the west bank.

Stop taking natural trails that people who want to be down there have made, developed, and explored and turn them into a semi-paved gravel track.

Mountain bikers and trail runners use it for the challenge not the ease of access. It's also a get away from the city streets where one can forget about the sights and sounds of sidewalk traffic and focus on personal time.

If 32% use it for exploration what will they do when it's a planned nature hike? The 25% of trail runners will have to find another place to run that provides the same twists, turns, and concentration of foot placement that the old trail provided.

"The paths along the river and its adjacent bluffs lack any formal designation, direction or legal authority BUT attract a surprisingly large group of users..."

Maybe the users of the trail use the trail BECAUSE of those 3 designations.